Inside a Marin County Home So Soothing, We’re Ready to Take a Nap
Every New Yorker had those friends. The ones who, in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, traded cramped city apartments for capacious houses in the quiet isolation of the “News”—New Canaan, New Rochelle, New Jersey. Many residents of San Francisco who looked to escape the “urbs” for the ’burbs in 2020 found their refuge in Marin County. The writer Alice Gregory, a native of the famously laid-back rural area on the northern side of the Golden Gate Bridge, described it as a place “where billionaires dress like off-duty park rangers.” It was there, in the farming community of Nicasio, where George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch is located, that interior decorator Eche Martinez created a cozy retreat for a family who had decamped from San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood.
Originally, the 3,600-square-foot home built in 2002 on a former golf course was purchased to be a weekend getaway. “The clients felt they needed more space and nature,” Martinez says. “They were living in a very urban environment, and they wanted a pool and a garden.” Things, he says, that cannot easily be had in San Francisco.
Built in 2002 on a two-acre lot, the two-floor, five-bedroom house provided Martinez with a big blank canvas to work with. The look he achieved is a warm and inviting mix of the glossy brown hues of vintage and antique furniture, traditional patterns, and neutral wall colors. “It was a let-your-hair down project,” he says. Beyond the calm, there are a few statement flourishes, like the wild Piet Hein Eek–designed mural wallpaper in the guest bathroom.
Kitchen
A breakfast bar overlooks the kitchen. Martinez painted the kitchen in Benjamin Moore’s crisp Decorator’s White paint.
Kitchen
The range is by Wolf, and the custom island is painted in Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue.
Living Room
The look designer Eche Martinez achieved is a warm and inviting mix of the glossy brown hues of vintage and antique furniture, traditional patterns, and neutral wall colors.
Living Room
The sofa in striped velvet is vintage, and the sofa in striped linen is by Serena & Lily. The walnut console, Danish bookcase, and Tuareg mat are vintage. The curtain fabric is by Rose Tarlow.
Dining Room
The sawhorse dining table and Paul McCobb chairs are vintage, the pendant is by Urban Electric, and the ceiling covering is by Michael Smith.
Primary Bedroom
The French dresser is antique, the inlaid bench is custom, the lamp is by Blackman Cruz, and the window coverings are by the Shade Store. The walls and ceilings are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White paint.
Primary Bathroom
The English chair is antique, and the transparent shades are by Conrad. The footed tub is painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball.
Guest Bedroom
A cozy plaid wallpaper by Brewster envelops the guest bedroom. The American desk and chair are antique, the bench is by Industry West, and the striped shade fabric is by Michael Smith.
Guest Bathroom
The guest bedroom has a similarly immersive feel thanks to the mural wallpaper by Piet Hein Eek for NLXL. The English chair is antique.
The project was not without its challenges, which is to be expected given the time in which it began. For one, the family had moved in before it was completed, so Martinez and his team had to “decorate around them,” he says. “We did it little by little and didn’t have some big reality-show reveal.”
The fact that the original floors throughout were made of concrete also presented an aesthetic challenge. “To bring in hardwood floors while they were living there would have been impossible,” he says. To solve it without the need for demolition, he deployed many sundry floor coverings—in some areas, Martinez put down what he describes as “inoffensive wall-to-wall jutes” topped with vintage rugs—around the house, which worked well in softening each space.
And then, there was the outdoor pool, which can be something of an albatross for any designer, including Martinez. “The contractor took forever,” he says, pointing out that the family couldn’t swim at all during their first summer there. “Putting the pool in was a pain in the butt,” he says, “but imagine how much business a pool contractor in Marin County had during the pandemic.”
The pool is there now, so all’s well that ends well. And what started as a weekend home and has evolved into being the family’s permanent residence. “Once you go remote,” Martinez says, “you can live anywhere.”
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